Mengxia Wang1, Ying Rong1, Li Luo2,3. 1. Intensive Care Unit, Guangdong No. 2 Provincial People's Hospital, Guangzhou, 510317, People's Republic of China. 2. School of Biosciences & Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, Guangdong, People's Republic of China. josephluoli@hotmail.com. 3. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Bioactive Substances, Guangzhou, 510006, Guangdong, People's Republic of China. josephluoli@hotmail.com.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) is a brain disease that is caused by perinatal asphyxia. Icariin (ICA), which is an active component of Epimedii (a Chinese medicinal herb), has been verified to demonstrate a wide range of therapeutic effects, such as alleviating various kinds of brain injury. OBJECTIVE: The current study aims to examine the neuroprotective effects of ICA on neonatal HIBD in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A modified version of the Rice-Vannucci method was performed to establish neonatal HIBD in 7-day-old mouse pups that were pretreated with ICA or vehicle. The infarct volume was measured, and behavioral tests were conducted to assess the protective effects of ICA on the neonatal brain and to evaluate functional recovery after injury. TUNEL staining was used to detect cell apoptosis, and the levels of cleaved caspase-3 and phosphorylated protein kinase B (Akt) were determined by using Western blot. RESULTS: We showed that pretreatment with ICA could significantly reduce brain damage, improve neurobehavioral outcomes, and suppress apoptotic cell death following HI injury. ICA reversed the HI-induced reduction in phosphorylated Akt and activation of cleaved caspase-3. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that ICA exerts potential neuroprotective effects on neonatal HIBD, which may be mediated by its anti-apoptotic activity.
INTRODUCTION: Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) is a brain disease that is caused by perinatal asphyxia. Icariin (ICA), which is an active component of Epimedii (a Chinese medicinal herb), has been verified to demonstrate a wide range of therapeutic effects, such as alleviating various kinds of brain injury. OBJECTIVE: The current study aims to examine the neuroprotective effects of ICA on neonatal HIBD in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A modified version of the Rice-Vannucci method was performed to establish neonatal HIBD in 7-day-old mouse pups that were pretreated with ICA or vehicle. The infarct volume was measured, and behavioral tests were conducted to assess the protective effects of ICA on the neonatal brain and to evaluate functional recovery after injury. TUNEL staining was used to detect cell apoptosis, and the levels of cleaved caspase-3 and phosphorylated protein kinase B (Akt) were determined by using Western blot. RESULTS: We showed that pretreatment with ICA could significantly reduce brain damage, improve neurobehavioral outcomes, and suppress apoptotic cell death following HI injury. ICA reversed the HI-induced reduction in phosphorylated Akt and activation of cleaved caspase-3. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that ICA exerts potential neuroprotective effects on neonatal HIBD, which may be mediated by its anti-apoptotic activity.
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